SC allows passive euthanasia for 32-yr-old in coma over 12 yrs
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New Delhi: In a landmark ruling, the Supreme Court on Wednesday permitted the withdrawal of artificial life support for a 32-year-old man who has been in a comatose state for more than 12 years, marking its first-ever order explicitly allowing passive euthanasia.
Passive euthanasia is the intentional act of allowing a patient to die by withholding or withdrawing life support or other treatments necessary to sustain life.
The patient, Ghaziabad native Harish Rana, a former student of Panjab University, suffered severe head injuries after falling from the fourth floor of his paying guest accommodation in 2013. He has remained in a coma for over a decade.
A bench comprising Justices J.B. Pardiwala and K.V. Viswanathan directed the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, to admit Rana to palliative care so that his medical treatment can be withdrawn. The court emphasised that the withdrawal must follow a tailored plan ensuring the patient’s dignity is maintained.
The order draws on the Supreme Court’s 2018 Common Cause judgment, which recognised the right to die with dignity as a fundamental right under Article 21 and allowed passive euthanasia through “Advance Medical Directives.” In 2023, a five-judge Constitution Bench modified these guidelines to simplify the process for granting passive euthanasia to terminally ill patients.
During hearings on Rana’s family petition, the top court had expressed a desire to meet his parents and reviewed a report on his medical history submitted by a secondary AIIMS-Delhi medical board. The bench described the report as “sad.”
The primary medical board, after examining Rana, had noted the negligible chances of his recovery. On December 11, 2025, the Supreme Court observed that according to the primary board’s report, the patient was in a “pathetic condition.”
As per the 2023 guidelines, both a primary and secondary medical board must be formed to provide expert opinions on the withdrawal of artificial life support for patients in a vegetative state, ensuring a structured and dignified approach to passive euthanasia.
With PTI inputs